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?=BQ =4F34;78
Two days after celebrating
Lohri, Makar Sankranti,
Pongal, Magh Bihu, etc, India
will kick off the much-awaited
anti-coronavirus vaccination
drive from January 16, with
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
terming the news as a “land-
mark step forward in fighting
Covid-19”.
The decision to launch the
vaccination programme from
next Saturday was taken hours
after the Prime Minister
chaired a high-level meeting
with senior officials to review
the Covid situation in the
country and finalise vaccine
rollout details.
It was felt that since people
will be busy celebrating their
local festivals beginning
January 13, it will be difficult
to rope them for the inocula-
tion drive. January 16 was cho-
sen to ensure everything goes
smoothly, said a senior official
from the Union Health
Ministry.
Earlier in the day, Modi at
the inaugural address of the
16th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas
convention via video-confer-
encing said that “India is self-
reliant in the battle against the
novel coronavirus pandemic.
India used to import PPE kits,
masks, ventilators, and testing
kits from outside but today our
nation is self-reliant. Today
India is ready to save human-
ity with two ‘Made in India’
Covid-19 vaccines.”
The plan to roll out the jabs
comes days after two rounds of
dry run across the country and
approval of the two vaccines —
Serum Institute of India’s
Covishield and Bharat Biotech’s
Covaxin which have been given
emergency use authorisation or
accelerated approval by the
top drug regulator.
The Centre said that in the
first phase starting from
January 16, nearly 30 million
healthcare and frontline work-
ers will be inoculated, followed
by those above 50 years of age
and the under-50 population
groups with co-morbidities.
“The rollout of Covid-19
vaccine will provide priority to
the healthcare workers and the
frontline workers who are esti-
mated to be around 3 crore, fol-
lowed by those above 50 years
of age and the under-50 pop-
ulation groups with co-mor-
bidities numbering around 27
crore,” the Centre said in a
release here.
The Prime Minister had
chaired a meeting on Saturday
to review the status of the
coronavirus pandemic in the
country along with the pre-
paredness of the States and
Union Territories (UTs) for
the vaccination drive. The
meeting was attended by
Cabinet Secretary, Principal
Secretary to PM, Health
Secretary, the release
added.
“After the detailed review,
it was decided that in view of
the forthcoming festivals
including Lohri, Makar
Sankranti, Pongal, Magh Bihu,
etc, the vaccination will start
from 16th January 2021,” the
release said.
During the meeting, Modi
was briefed about the pre-
paredness status of the Centre
in close collaboration with
States and UTs for rolling out
vaccine doses in near future
and was also informed about
the Co-Win app.
Co-Win is a digitised plat-
form that will provide real-time
information of vaccine stocks,
storage temperature, and indi-
vidualised tracking of benefi-
ciaries of the vaccine. Over 7.9
million beneficiaries have been
registered on the app.
“Over 61,000 programme
managers, 200,00 vaccinators,
and 3,70,000 other vaccination
team members have been
trained so far as part of the
training at the States, districts,
and block levels,” said the
statement.
“The vaccination exercise
will be guided by the princi-
ples of people’s participation
(Jan Bhagidari); utilising expe-
rience of elections (booth
strategy) and Universal
Immunization Program (UIP).
BC055A4?AC4AQ =4F34;78
In view of the bird flu scare,
import of live birds has been
banned in Delhi and Ghazipur
poultry market will remain
closed for the next ten days.
Besides, the Delhi Government
has shut Sanjay Lake, Hastsal
Park, two other recreational
gardens in Delhi after 24 crows
were found dead in Jasola park
and 10 ducks at Sanjay
Lake.
Noting that there is no
confirmed case of avian
influenza in Delhi so far, Chief
Minister Arvind Kejriwal said
samples have been sent to
Jalandhar laboratory. He also
said a 24-hour helpline has
been set up for assistance.
On Friday, the Centre said
bird flu has been confirmed so
far in six States — Kerala,
Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh,
Himachal Pradesh, Haryana
and Gujarat.
Meanwhile, at least 24
crows have been found dead at
a district park in South Delhi’s
Jasola in the past three days and
10 ducks have died at the
famous Sanjay Lake, officials
said on Saturday.
The DDA, which owns a
large number of parks in the
city, said authorities are mon-
itoring the situation closely.
?=BQ =4F34;78
Ahigh-level committee,
headed by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi, has been con-
stituted to commemorate the
125th birth anniversary of
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in
a “befitting manner”.
A notification to this effect
was issued on Saturday by the
Ministry of Culture in which 85
members, including the PM,
have been named, which will
decide on the activities for a
one-year-long commemora-
tion, beginning January 23.
The committee will com-
prise eminent citizens, histori-
ans, experts, family members of
Netaji and persons
associated with the Azad Hind
Fauj.
Jakarta: A Sriwijaya Air pas-
senger jet carrying 62 people
lost contact with air traffic
controllers minutes after taking
off from Indonesia’s capital on
a domestic flight on Saturday,
officials said.
Transportation Minister
Budi Karya Sumadi said Flight
SJ182 was delayed for an hour
before it took off at 2:36 p.m.
The Boeing 737-500 disap-
peared from radar four minutes
later, after the pilot contacted
air traffic control to ascend to
an altitude of 29,000 feet, he
said. The airline said in a state-
ment the plane was on an esti-
mated 90-minute flight from
Jakarta to Pontianak, the cap-
ital of West Kalimantan
province on Indonesia’s Borneo
island.
Detailed report on P7
0?Q F0B78=6C=
Warnings flashing,
Democrats in Congress
laid plans for swift impeach-
ment of President Donald
Trump, demanding decisive,
immediate action to ensure an
“unhinged” commander in
chief can’t add to the damage
they say he’s inflicted or even
ignite nuclear war in his final
days in office.
As the country comes to
terms with the violent siege of
the US Capitol by Trump sup-
porters that left five dead, the
crisis that appears to be among
the final acts of his presidency
is deepening like few other
periods in the nation’s history.
With less than two weeks until
he’s gone, Democrats want him
out — now — and he has few
defenders speaking up for him
in his own Republican party.
“We must take action,”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
declared on Friday on a private
conference call with Democrats.
And one prominent
Republican, Sen. Lisa
Murkowski of Alaska, told the
Anchorage Daily News
that Trump simply “needs to
get out.”
The final days of Trump’s
presidency are spinning toward
a chaotic end as he holes up at
the White House, abandoned
by many aides, top Republicans
and Cabinet members. After
refusing to concede defeat in
the November election, he has
now promised a smooth trans-
fer of power when Democratic
President-elect Joe Biden is
sworn in on Jan. 20. But even
so, he says he will not attend the
inauguration — the first such
presidential snub since just
after the Civil War.
In Congress, where many
have watched and reeled as the
president spent four years
breaking norms and testing the
nation’s guardrails of democ-
racy, Democrats are unwilling
to take further chances with
only a few days left in his
term.
?=BQ =4F34;78
The Indian Army has appre-
hended a Chinese soldier in
the areas of South of Pangong
Tso (lake) in Eastern Ladakh
where a stand-off between the
two armies is on for the last
nine months. The soldier
transgressed across the LAC in
India. His interrogation is on.
This is the second such incident
since October last year.
“During early hours of
January 8, a Chinese soldier
was apprehended on the Indian
side of the LAC, in Ladakh, in
area South of Pangong Tso lake.
The People Liberation Army
(PLA) soldier had transgressed
across the LAC and was taken
into custody by Indian troops
deployed in this area,” the
Army said here on Saturday.
C=A0679D=0C70Q D108
In a shocking incident, ten
infants — aged between one
and three months — were
killed in the wee hours of
Saturday, when a massive fire
broke out in a Government
hospital at Bhandara in eastern
Maharashtra.
The fire — triggered prima
facie by a short-circuit — broke
out at the Neonatal Intensive
Care Unit at the District
General Hospital at Bhandara
around 1.30 am. Before long,
fire and smoke engulfed the
newborn care unit. A nurse
who was among the two nurs-
es and one helper present at
that time in the NICU raised an
alarm, prompting other nurs-
es, doctors and other hospital
members to rush to the
scene.
New Delhi: The department of
revenue (DoR), Ministry of
Finance has clarified that any
purchase of gold, silver, jew-
ellery, or precious gems and
stones below C2 lakh does not
require permanent account
number (PAN) or Aadhaar of
a customer as mandatory
Know Your Customer (KYC)
document.
Sources said the notifica-
tion, issued under PML Act on
December 28, 2020, is a
requirement of Financial
Action Task Force (FATF)
Dealers in Precious Metals and
Precious Stones (DPMS) to
carry out KYC and customer
due diligence only when they
conduct cash transactions
above C10 lakh.
“This is a requirement of
Financial Action Task Force —
the global money laundering
and terrorist financing overseer
which as the inter-
Governmental body sets inter-
national standards aimed to
prevent illegal activities on ter-
ror funding and money laun-
dering,” they added.
Detailed report on P8
Washington: Several
Republican leaders, including
popular Indian-American
politician Nikki Haley, have
condemned Twitter for per-
manently deactivating outgoing
President Donald Trump’s
account, saying that the “US is
not China”.
Twitter on Friday perma-
nently suspended Trump’s
account due to the “risk of fur-
ther incitement of violence”,
days after his supporters
stormed the US Capitol and
caused the deaths of four civil-
ians and a police officer.
Detailed report on P7
Aurangabad: As man as 900
hens have died at a poultry
farm in Murumba village in
Parbhani district of
Maharashtra, a senior official
said on Saturday. Their sam-
ples have been sent for inves-
tigation to identify the exact
cause of the death, Parbhani
district collector Deepak
Mulgikar told PTI.
?=BQ =4F34;78
The Central Government
on Saturday said that a
total of 90 persons have been
detected with the new “more
transmissible” UK coronavirus
mutant strain. They are kept in
physical isolation in health
facilities. Of 33,000 UK flyers
who arrived in India from
November 25 to December 23
last year, the Government has
been able to trace just 5,000
passengers.
Health experts say that
there may be many more with-
in the community who might
be acting as super spreaders as
they are yet not in the detec-
tion radar. The new cases have
mostly been reported from
Maharashtra — Mumbai,
Pune, Thane, Nagpur, Nashik,
Aurangabad, Raigad
On Friday, Madhya
Pradesh reported its first case
of the new mutated strain
from the UK. The patient, a
39-year-old man, had returned
to Indore from the UK last
month and has tested
positive for the new coron-
avirus strain. Officials say he
is asymptomatic.
A day earlier, three more
people were found positive
with the new UK-variant of
Covid-19 in Maharashtra, tak-
ing the State’s tally to 11.
Officials said all the 11 cases
were asymptomatic.
As of January 6, the num-
ber of people who had tested
positive for the new UK vari-
ant was 73 while on December
30, six cases were found to be
infected with the new variant
of the virus known as
“N501Y”.
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![Q You were away for two
years, what kept you busy?
After Ek Vivah Aisa Bhi, I
took a break to focus on my
health. I did receive a couple of
offers during this period but
they didn’t quite make the cut.
But I recently did a cameo in
ZEE TV’s Qurbaan Hua as a
second lead.
Q What is your role in Yeshu?
The character of Mary,
Yeshu’s mother, is a significant
one. She will guide and nurture
her son to his life purpose.
Often described as a gentle
mother and a peaceful dove in
a hymn, Mary is a brave
woman who has immense faith
and a strong belief in God.
Throughout her life, she is seen
holding on to the truth and
believes in living by example.
Right from her childhood till
the time she becomes a mother,
Mary is seen cherishing every
moment and fulfilling all
expectations of not only a
mother but also a wife
Q What made you say yes to
the role?
The reason why I said yes
is because this story has never
been told on TV. We have only
heard of this role but nobody
has ever played it. I consider it
a blessing that I got an
opportunity to play Mary. To
be chosen to portray this role
is a big moment for me. It is
completely different from the
roles I have played till now.
There are many dimensions to
her character. She is a dutiful
daughter to her parents, a
companion and friend to her
cousin, a loyal and loving wife
to Joseph, a guiding force to
her son Yeshu. The role comes
with responsibility as well.
Q What is the story of Yeshu?
The story is not only the
most iconic story of good
versus evil, but it also captures
the beautiful relationship
between Yeshu and his support
and guide, his mother. This
role is a reward and a big
responsibility. I am eagerly
looking forward to it.
Q How did you come on
board this project?
I got the role after giving
auditions. I got a call from the
makers; they had seen
my previous work and
felt that I would fit the
character of Yeshu’s
mother. They called me
for the auditions and
recorded the same since
it happened during the
lockdown. I gave two-
three auditions and
gave a mock shoot.
After that all the
things were finalised
after discussions.
Q How tough is it to
play Mary?
I had to prepare for
the character. We got a
lot of briefings from our
creative and research
team. We have the support of
the channel and the makers as
well. Due to their help we came
to know so many things about
Yeshu’s life and how people
behaved during that time. This
helped me a lot to prepare for
Mary’s character. Iused to
meditate earlier as well, but I
started spending more time
and focused on it. This
character is sweet, soft and
sombre. The more I am calm
inside, the more it will translate
into my acting.
Q What made Jassi so
popular?
There were two reasons.
One, was the story itself.
Second, of course was the
character of Jassi herself in
Aadhe Adhoore. It is not very
often we get to see a role like
hers. We don’t discuss thing
that have been shown in the
series. This is probably the
reason why people loved to
watch it. I am grateful and
blessed that I have been getting
a chance to do such varied
roles.
Q How did you get into
acting?
After graduation, I
was still trying to
decide what to pursue
when I got a call to do
an ad from a family
friend. When I went
there and saw what
the industry was all
about, I wanted to
work here. I was not
the kind to work 9
am to 5 pm and sit in
front of the
computer. I was
looking at the work
that would give me a
chance to express
myself creatively.
Acting gave me that
outlet.
Q Is there a role that
left its mark on you?
I would say Jassi
has been a
benchmark for me —
professionally as well
as personally. There
were so many
questions that I had
from life, after doing
this show, it made me
realise that there is no
right or wrong in life; it
all depends on one’s
perception and situation
one finds himself in. We
are nobody to judge
anybody. I learnt a lot
from that role. Also people
started recognising me as a
good actor.
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D
irected by Marcela Said, Ludovic Bernard and Louis
Leterrier, Lupin is inspired by the adventures of Arsène
Lupin, a fictional gentleman thief and master of
disguises created in 1905, created by Maurice Leblanc. A janitor
who is working at the Lourve would really not catch one’s
attention until he stops at a
necklace — a queen’s
necklace with an interesting
story behind it. That is when
one sits up to see the drama
unfold in the next five
episodes (part 1) of the two-
part series.
What keeps one
attention and interest here is
not just the lead played by
Omar Sy but the way events
progress. One may think
that the series would follow
a predictable pattern when
there is a twist and the
viewer is left awed by how
well writers George Kay and
François Uzan have played
with the story.
One, of course, should
give Sy full credit of the way
he manages to change his
demeanour — from a
gentleman one minute to a
man with a failed marriage to
a suave man who can pass
himself off as a millionaire.
All this he does with a smile
that is endearing and makes
one fall in love with his
character.
While the actors do their
part in bringing this thriller-
drama to life, it is the story
that keeps one engrossed – it
is fast-paced, well-played out
and leaves one awestruck as
the story progresses.
The only problem is that
it is in two part and the next
will only be released later in
the year. Not good for a
crime-thriller that leaves one
at a high point only to end.
The upside is that the
New Year has begun on a
good note with more to
follow. °BWP[X]XBPZbT]P
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F
or those who have wanted to know how certain words came to be
swear words, History of Swear Words is a miniseries that is right up
their alley. Presented by Nicholas Cage, the profanities that he starts
off with sets the six-part series that takes us through the journey of words
like f**k, d**n, p***y, s**t, d**k and bitch.
Each 20-minute episode takes us on a journey that begins with how the
word originated, a bit of folklore around it, for example, f**k — Fornication
Under Consent of the King — was considered illegal unless sanctioned by
the king. While they may not have originated in Christianised Anglo-Saxon
England but it is interesting to know how the word through the centuries
has evolved only to be used in the modern world to denote a plethora of
emotions — rage, confusion, excitement and not to forget sex.
Or take the word bitch which finds its origins in bicce — a female dog
only to be used as a word to degrade women to only find that it represents
solidarity and strength in today’s world — depending upon how and who
is using this word.
The episode that gives us the history of the word s**t is just as interesting.
The etymology of s**t — Ship High In Transit — to how it became a vulgar
word to use now, sometimes, being used in a positive manner is informative
to say the least.
Besides Cage who gives us a little history of these different words, there
is a lexicographer, a few comedians and actors who talk about what these
swear words mean to them and how they have been used over the years and
their evolution.
Watch it if you use profanities at the drop of a hat and want to know
how they came to be used. Makes for an interesting party conversation for
sure. If swear words offend you, stay away.
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C
OVID-19mayhaveputmanyofour
homemakeoversonthesidelinesbut
it doesn’t hurt if, in the meantime,
one watches how this couple manages to
turn around the client’s space into a thing
of beauty — something that each one of us
would like to have in our homes as well.
Season 2 is on similar lines as part one
whereonegetstoseehowthecouplejuggle
work-life and spend time with their young
daughters.
Fromtransforminghigh-endhomesto
redoing a master bath to a kitchen to
convertingacabinhomeintoadreamspace
for a family of three.
Dream Home Makeover definitely
gives one an idea how one can transform
one’s own home. A change here and white
paint, giving the floor a break for the rest
of the house and how to ensure that
Bohemian works with a straight modern-
day look and come together to give a
beautiful place where one can relax — all
this and much more is what this series has
to offer this time round.
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D
raped in bright sarees and always
dressed to the nines, Anita is one of
the most loved characters on TV.
However, with Saumya Tandon bidding
adieu to the show and the character, it came
as a big disappointment to the audience to
not be able to see Gori Mem on screen for
quite a while.
However, the wait is finally over now
with Nehha Pendse all set to replace
Saumya Tandon as Anita Mishra in TV’s
Bhabhi Ji Ghar Par Hain.
“I am extremely excited to play Anita.
The expectations are very high and I hope
I live up to the expectations of the audience,”
Pendse says.
With that being said, there is always
some kind of pressure on actors when they
replace someone, especially for an already
established character and the same is with
Pendse.
“There is a lot of pressure of course,
especially because here is an artist who is
loved for playing a character and then you
are taking away that image from the
audience mind and trying to give your side
to it. That is always a scary scenario for any
artist. But the beauty in this case is that
Saumya had already stepped away from
playing Anita bhabhi because of her
personal reasons. Also this is probably
happening for the first time that the
audience is eagerly waiting to see the new
Anita.
Hence, here it will not come as a shock
to the audience as it does when someone
gets replaced overnight. The audience will
not feel cheated, since they are already
expecting someone to come and fill that
void. It is more like a welcome and that is
what I think is working in my favour,”
Pendse says.
She tells you that there is no such
challenge that the role has to offer since she
is somewhat similar to the character. “If I
was to play Angoori bhabhi, it would have
been definitely challenging for me because
I would have had to work upon my accent
and body language. On the other hand,
Anita is just how I am in real life. There is
no added layer to the personality. So I
believe it willcomeeasyto me,” Pendse,who
hasn’t started shooting yet, tells you.
Not only Anita, but even Pendse is back
on TV after a short hiatus. And to choose
the right role to make a comeback needed
a lot of thoughts. “Every actor looks for the
best of the opportunities around. One
always pick the best of the project that has
been offered to him. I did have some
apprehensions as to check the right project
and I had a few other offers as well which
were knocking my door, but Bhabhi Ji Ghar
Par Hain looked like the best opportunity
to me. To add to it, I also went with my gut
feeling,” she says.
Not that the gut feeling is the only
priority for Pendse, just like any other actor,
the director, producer and the show matters
as much for her as well.
“There is always a checklist. If I talk
about this show, first, the producers are
known to me, second, they are the ones who
are known for this genre. So, I am working
with people who have been there and done
that. Third, it is an iconic show. Fourth, it
is an iconic character and the last, but not
the least the show has been running for five
years now and is still going strong, so it
definitely has something good to offer. This
show is the one which is ticking off all my
check boxes,” Pendse, who
started working on TV with
Captain House in 1995, explains.
However, the project
happened by chance and it was
like acting chose her. “I was a
very shygirl.My motherenroled
me into personality
development classes when I
was 10. That’s where, Ekta
Kapoor saw me because she was
looking for young kids and
back then, child actors were not
that easily available. So, one has
to raid all these personality
development centres to get the
potential child artist. That’s how
I came in her vision and she
offered me the role. My mother
was extremely supportive and
she made me take up the
opportunity,” she tells you.
In all these years of her
career, there is a lot that Pendse
has learnt and also there are a
few regrets as well. “I started
young and I am the kind of artist
who just got work. I never
asked for it. I am not even a
trained actor per se. I learnt the
job on the go. At times, I do feel
bad about it and realise that I
should have taken some
professional training so that
my understanding of the craft
and the job opportunities that I
am getting would have been
much wiser,” she says.
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Pioneer Dehradun-english-edition-2021-01-10
- 1. "D;CA0B38438=8=380´B 0CC02:)?0:4G38?;0C =Tf3T[WX)0U^aTa?PZXbcP]X SX_[^PcPSXccTS^]P]Tfb cT[TeXbX^]bW^fcWPc cTaa^aXbcbWPSSXTSX]cWT 1P[PZ^cPXabcaXZTQh8]SXP^] 5TQadPah!%! (CWT PSXbbX^]QhcWTU^aTa ?PZXbcP]XSX_[^Pc 0VWP7X[P[hfW^aTVd[Pa[hcPZTb cWT?PZXbcP]0ah bXSTX]CESTQPcTbV^Tb PVPX]bccWTiTa^RPbdP[cXTb R[PXPSTQh8b[PPQPSPc cWPccXT 094A30A6072=24A=B 01DCA03820;DC58C 9PX_da)CWTb_XaXcdP[WTPS^U 0YTa3PaVPWIPX]d[0QTSX]0[X :WP]^]BPcdaSPhTg_aTbbTS R^]RTa]^eTacWTaXbT^UaPSXRP[ ^aVP]XbPcX^]bfWXRW_a^YTRc cWTbT[eTbPbcWTb^[T aT_aTbT]cPcXeT^Udb[XbX] cWTR^d]cah 20?BD;4 ?=BQ =4F34;78 Two days after celebrating Lohri, Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Magh Bihu, etc, India will kick off the much-awaited anti-coronavirus vaccination drive from January 16, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi terming the news as a “land- mark step forward in fighting Covid-19”. The decision to launch the vaccination programme from next Saturday was taken hours after the Prime Minister chaired a high-level meeting with senior officials to review the Covid situation in the country and finalise vaccine rollout details. It was felt that since people will be busy celebrating their local festivals beginning January 13, it will be difficult to rope them for the inocula- tion drive. January 16 was cho- sen to ensure everything goes smoothly, said a senior official from the Union Health Ministry. Earlier in the day, Modi at the inaugural address of the 16th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas convention via video-confer- encing said that “India is self- reliant in the battle against the novel coronavirus pandemic. India used to import PPE kits, masks, ventilators, and testing kits from outside but today our nation is self-reliant. Today India is ready to save human- ity with two ‘Made in India’ Covid-19 vaccines.” The plan to roll out the jabs comes days after two rounds of dry run across the country and approval of the two vaccines — Serum Institute of India’s Covishield and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin which have been given emergency use authorisation or accelerated approval by the top drug regulator. The Centre said that in the first phase starting from January 16, nearly 30 million healthcare and frontline work- ers will be inoculated, followed by those above 50 years of age and the under-50 population groups with co-morbidities. “The rollout of Covid-19 vaccine will provide priority to the healthcare workers and the frontline workers who are esti- mated to be around 3 crore, fol- lowed by those above 50 years of age and the under-50 pop- ulation groups with co-mor- bidities numbering around 27 crore,” the Centre said in a release here. The Prime Minister had chaired a meeting on Saturday to review the status of the coronavirus pandemic in the country along with the pre- paredness of the States and Union Territories (UTs) for the vaccination drive. The meeting was attended by Cabinet Secretary, Principal Secretary to PM, Health Secretary, the release added. “After the detailed review, it was decided that in view of the forthcoming festivals including Lohri, Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Magh Bihu, etc, the vaccination will start from 16th January 2021,” the release said. During the meeting, Modi was briefed about the pre- paredness status of the Centre in close collaboration with States and UTs for rolling out vaccine doses in near future and was also informed about the Co-Win app. Co-Win is a digitised plat- form that will provide real-time information of vaccine stocks, storage temperature, and indi- vidualised tracking of benefi- ciaries of the vaccine. Over 7.9 million beneficiaries have been registered on the app. “Over 61,000 programme managers, 200,00 vaccinators, and 3,70,000 other vaccination team members have been trained so far as part of the training at the States, districts, and block levels,” said the statement. “The vaccination exercise will be guided by the princi- ples of people’s participation (Jan Bhagidari); utilising expe- rience of elections (booth strategy) and Universal Immunization Program (UIP). BC055A4?AC4AQ =4F34;78 In view of the bird flu scare, import of live birds has been banned in Delhi and Ghazipur poultry market will remain closed for the next ten days. Besides, the Delhi Government has shut Sanjay Lake, Hastsal Park, two other recreational gardens in Delhi after 24 crows were found dead in Jasola park and 10 ducks at Sanjay Lake. Noting that there is no confirmed case of avian influenza in Delhi so far, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said samples have been sent to Jalandhar laboratory. He also said a 24-hour helpline has been set up for assistance. On Friday, the Centre said bird flu has been confirmed so far in six States — Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Gujarat. Meanwhile, at least 24 crows have been found dead at a district park in South Delhi’s Jasola in the past three days and 10 ducks have died at the famous Sanjay Lake, officials said on Saturday. The DDA, which owns a large number of parks in the city, said authorities are mon- itoring the situation closely. ?=BQ =4F34;78 Ahigh-level committee, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has been con- stituted to commemorate the 125th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in a “befitting manner”. A notification to this effect was issued on Saturday by the Ministry of Culture in which 85 members, including the PM, have been named, which will decide on the activities for a one-year-long commemora- tion, beginning January 23. The committee will com- prise eminent citizens, histori- ans, experts, family members of Netaji and persons associated with the Azad Hind Fauj. Jakarta: A Sriwijaya Air pas- senger jet carrying 62 people lost contact with air traffic controllers minutes after taking off from Indonesia’s capital on a domestic flight on Saturday, officials said. Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said Flight SJ182 was delayed for an hour before it took off at 2:36 p.m. The Boeing 737-500 disap- peared from radar four minutes later, after the pilot contacted air traffic control to ascend to an altitude of 29,000 feet, he said. The airline said in a state- ment the plane was on an esti- mated 90-minute flight from Jakarta to Pontianak, the cap- ital of West Kalimantan province on Indonesia’s Borneo island. Detailed report on P7 0?Q F0B78=6C= Warnings flashing, Democrats in Congress laid plans for swift impeach- ment of President Donald Trump, demanding decisive, immediate action to ensure an “unhinged” commander in chief can’t add to the damage they say he’s inflicted or even ignite nuclear war in his final days in office. As the country comes to terms with the violent siege of the US Capitol by Trump sup- porters that left five dead, the crisis that appears to be among the final acts of his presidency is deepening like few other periods in the nation’s history. With less than two weeks until he’s gone, Democrats want him out — now — and he has few defenders speaking up for him in his own Republican party. “We must take action,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi declared on Friday on a private conference call with Democrats. And one prominent Republican, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, told the Anchorage Daily News that Trump simply “needs to get out.” The final days of Trump’s presidency are spinning toward a chaotic end as he holes up at the White House, abandoned by many aides, top Republicans and Cabinet members. After refusing to concede defeat in the November election, he has now promised a smooth trans- fer of power when Democratic President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in on Jan. 20. But even so, he says he will not attend the inauguration — the first such presidential snub since just after the Civil War. In Congress, where many have watched and reeled as the president spent four years breaking norms and testing the nation’s guardrails of democ- racy, Democrats are unwilling to take further chances with only a few days left in his term. ?=BQ =4F34;78 The Indian Army has appre- hended a Chinese soldier in the areas of South of Pangong Tso (lake) in Eastern Ladakh where a stand-off between the two armies is on for the last nine months. The soldier transgressed across the LAC in India. His interrogation is on. This is the second such incident since October last year. “During early hours of January 8, a Chinese soldier was apprehended on the Indian side of the LAC, in Ladakh, in area South of Pangong Tso lake. The People Liberation Army (PLA) soldier had transgressed across the LAC and was taken into custody by Indian troops deployed in this area,” the Army said here on Saturday. C=A0679D=0C70Q D108 In a shocking incident, ten infants — aged between one and three months — were killed in the wee hours of Saturday, when a massive fire broke out in a Government hospital at Bhandara in eastern Maharashtra. The fire — triggered prima facie by a short-circuit — broke out at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the District General Hospital at Bhandara around 1.30 am. Before long, fire and smoke engulfed the newborn care unit. A nurse who was among the two nurs- es and one helper present at that time in the NICU raised an alarm, prompting other nurs- es, doctors and other hospital members to rush to the scene. New Delhi: The department of revenue (DoR), Ministry of Finance has clarified that any purchase of gold, silver, jew- ellery, or precious gems and stones below C2 lakh does not require permanent account number (PAN) or Aadhaar of a customer as mandatory Know Your Customer (KYC) document. Sources said the notifica- tion, issued under PML Act on December 28, 2020, is a requirement of Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Dealers in Precious Metals and Precious Stones (DPMS) to carry out KYC and customer due diligence only when they conduct cash transactions above C10 lakh. “This is a requirement of Financial Action Task Force — the global money laundering and terrorist financing overseer which as the inter- Governmental body sets inter- national standards aimed to prevent illegal activities on ter- ror funding and money laun- dering,” they added. Detailed report on P8 Washington: Several Republican leaders, including popular Indian-American politician Nikki Haley, have condemned Twitter for per- manently deactivating outgoing President Donald Trump’s account, saying that the “US is not China”. Twitter on Friday perma- nently suspended Trump’s account due to the “risk of fur- ther incitement of violence”, days after his supporters stormed the US Capitol and caused the deaths of four civil- ians and a police officer. Detailed report on P7 Aurangabad: As man as 900 hens have died at a poultry farm in Murumba village in Parbhani district of Maharashtra, a senior official said on Saturday. Their sam- ples have been sent for inves- tigation to identify the exact cause of the death, Parbhani district collector Deepak Mulgikar told PTI. ?=BQ =4F34;78 The Central Government on Saturday said that a total of 90 persons have been detected with the new “more transmissible” UK coronavirus mutant strain. They are kept in physical isolation in health facilities. Of 33,000 UK flyers who arrived in India from November 25 to December 23 last year, the Government has been able to trace just 5,000 passengers. Health experts say that there may be many more with- in the community who might be acting as super spreaders as they are yet not in the detec- tion radar. The new cases have mostly been reported from Maharashtra — Mumbai, Pune, Thane, Nagpur, Nashik, Aurangabad, Raigad On Friday, Madhya Pradesh reported its first case of the new mutated strain from the UK. The patient, a 39-year-old man, had returned to Indore from the UK last month and has tested positive for the new coron- avirus strain. Officials say he is asymptomatic. A day earlier, three more people were found positive with the new UK-variant of Covid-19 in Maharashtra, tak- ing the State’s tally to 11. Officials said all the 11 cases were asymptomatic. As of January 6, the num- ber of people who had tested positive for the new UK vari- ant was 73 while on December 30, six cases were found to be infected with the new variant of the virus known as “N501Y”. 4@G:5G244:?2E:@?7C@;2?'0RGL WHUPV LW ODQGPDUN VWHS LQ ILJKW DJDLQVW RYLG UROORXW GDWH FKRVHQ DV IHVWLYDOV ZLOO EH RYHU E -DQ S 8]cWTUXabc_WPbTbcPacX]VUa^9P]dPah %]TPa[hX[[X^]WTP[cWRPaTP]S Ua^]c[X]Tf^aZTabfX[[QTX]^Rd[PcTSU^[[^fTSQhcW^bTPQ^eT$hTPab^UPVT P]ScWTd]STa$_^_d[PcX^]Va^d_bfXcWR^^aQXSXcXTb S 2^FX]XbPSXVXcXbTS_[PcU^acWPcfX[[_a^eXSTaTP[cXTX]U^aPcX^]^UePRRX]T bc^RZbbc^aPVTcT_TaPcdaTP]SX]SXeXSdP[XbTScaPRZX]V^UQT]TUXRXPaXTb^UcWT ePRRX]TeTa(X[[X^]QT]TUXRXPaXTbWPeTQTT]aTVXbcTaTS^]cWTP__ S eTa% _a^VaPTP]PVTab!ePRRX]Pc^abP]S^cWTa ePRRX]PcX^]cTPTQTabWPeTQTT]caPX]TSb^UPaPb_Pac^UcWTcaPX]X]VPc cWTBcPcTbSXbcaXRcbP]SQ[^RZ[TeT[b 2I . IOLHUV IURP 8. RQO . WUDFHG VWUDLQ FDVHV ULVH WR LQ ,QGLD 'HOKL EDQV LPSRUW RI OLYH ELUGV SRXOWU PDUNHW VKXW #%Tc`hdW`f_UUVRU Z_;Rd`]RaRcDR_[Rj =RV9RdedR]ARc XRcUV_dT]`dVU `UZ]VUS`Uje` TV]VScReV#eY SZceYR__ZgVcdRcj `W?VeR[ZDfSYRd A=2d`]UZVcZ_ :_UZR_Tfde`Uj W`cecR_dXcVddZ_X =24Z_AR_X`_X LQIDQWV LPPRODWHG DW 0DKD KRVSLWDO :H2]TTSTS^][hU^aRPbW_daRWPbT^UYTfT[[TahPQ^eTC!;)6^ec 8]S^]TbXP]YTc fXcW%!PQ^PaS V^TbXbbX]V HR_eYZ^`fe_`h Jammu: Over 150 crows were found dead in three districts of Jammu region triggering a bird flu scare and samples have been sent for testing to a wildlife lab in Punjab, officials said. The bird deaths have been reported from Udhampur, Kathua and Rajouri districts since Thursday, they said. 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- 2. Q You were away for two years, what kept you busy? After Ek Vivah Aisa Bhi, I took a break to focus on my health. I did receive a couple of offers during this period but they didn’t quite make the cut. But I recently did a cameo in ZEE TV’s Qurbaan Hua as a second lead. Q What is your role in Yeshu? The character of Mary, Yeshu’s mother, is a significant one. She will guide and nurture her son to his life purpose. Often described as a gentle mother and a peaceful dove in a hymn, Mary is a brave woman who has immense faith and a strong belief in God. Throughout her life, she is seen holding on to the truth and believes in living by example. Right from her childhood till the time she becomes a mother, Mary is seen cherishing every moment and fulfilling all expectations of not only a mother but also a wife Q What made you say yes to the role? The reason why I said yes is because this story has never been told on TV. We have only heard of this role but nobody has ever played it. I consider it a blessing that I got an opportunity to play Mary. To be chosen to portray this role is a big moment for me. It is completely different from the roles I have played till now. There are many dimensions to her character. She is a dutiful daughter to her parents, a companion and friend to her cousin, a loyal and loving wife to Joseph, a guiding force to her son Yeshu. The role comes with responsibility as well. Q What is the story of Yeshu? The story is not only the most iconic story of good versus evil, but it also captures the beautiful relationship between Yeshu and his support and guide, his mother. This role is a reward and a big responsibility. I am eagerly looking forward to it. Q How did you come on board this project? I got the role after giving auditions. I got a call from the makers; they had seen my previous work and felt that I would fit the character of Yeshu’s mother. They called me for the auditions and recorded the same since it happened during the lockdown. I gave two- three auditions and gave a mock shoot. After that all the things were finalised after discussions. Q How tough is it to play Mary? I had to prepare for the character. We got a lot of briefings from our creative and research team. We have the support of the channel and the makers as well. Due to their help we came to know so many things about Yeshu’s life and how people behaved during that time. This helped me a lot to prepare for Mary’s character. Iused to meditate earlier as well, but I started spending more time and focused on it. This character is sweet, soft and sombre. The more I am calm inside, the more it will translate into my acting. Q What made Jassi so popular? There were two reasons. One, was the story itself. Second, of course was the character of Jassi herself in Aadhe Adhoore. It is not very often we get to see a role like hers. We don’t discuss thing that have been shown in the series. This is probably the reason why people loved to watch it. I am grateful and blessed that I have been getting a chance to do such varied roles. Q How did you get into acting? After graduation, I was still trying to decide what to pursue when I got a call to do an ad from a family friend. When I went there and saw what the industry was all about, I wanted to work here. I was not the kind to work 9 am to 5 pm and sit in front of the computer. I was looking at the work that would give me a chance to express myself creatively. Acting gave me that outlet. Q Is there a role that left its mark on you? I would say Jassi has been a benchmark for me — professionally as well as personally. There were so many questions that I had from life, after doing this show, it made me realise that there is no right or wrong in life; it all depends on one’s perception and situation one finds himself in. We are nobody to judge anybody. I learnt a lot from that role. Also people started recognising me as a good actor. 347A03D=kBD=30H k90=D0AH !! UX[bce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dY^Q YWXdXUQbdUTd_^U 9@6E962EC6 =FA:? ?VeW]Zi Z_X+@^RcDjGZ_TV_e=`_UVk=fUgZ_VDRX_ZVc4]`eZ]UV 9Vd^V?ZT`]V8RcTZR CReVU+' ! D irected by Marcela Said, Ludovic Bernard and Louis Leterrier, Lupin is inspired by the adventures of Arsène Lupin, a fictional gentleman thief and master of disguises created in 1905, created by Maurice Leblanc. A janitor who is working at the Lourve would really not catch one’s attention until he stops at a necklace — a queen’s necklace with an interesting story behind it. That is when one sits up to see the drama unfold in the next five episodes (part 1) of the two- part series. What keeps one attention and interest here is not just the lead played by Omar Sy but the way events progress. One may think that the series would follow a predictable pattern when there is a twist and the viewer is left awed by how well writers George Kay and François Uzan have played with the story. One, of course, should give Sy full credit of the way he manages to change his demeanour — from a gentleman one minute to a man with a failed marriage to a suave man who can pass himself off as a millionaire. All this he does with a smile that is endearing and makes one fall in love with his character. While the actors do their part in bringing this thriller- drama to life, it is the story that keeps one engrossed – it is fast-paced, well-played out and leaves one awestruck as the story progresses. The only problem is that it is in two part and the next will only be released later in the year. Not good for a crime-thriller that leaves one at a high point only to end. The upside is that the New Year has begun on a good note with more to follow. °BWP[X]XBPZbT]P 9:DE@CJ@7DH62CH@C5D ?VeW]Zi AcVdV_eVc+?ZTY`]Rd4RXV CReVU+' ! F or those who have wanted to know how certain words came to be swear words, History of Swear Words is a miniseries that is right up their alley. Presented by Nicholas Cage, the profanities that he starts off with sets the six-part series that takes us through the journey of words like f**k, d**n, p***y, s**t, d**k and bitch. Each 20-minute episode takes us on a journey that begins with how the word originated, a bit of folklore around it, for example, f**k — Fornication Under Consent of the King — was considered illegal unless sanctioned by the king. While they may not have originated in Christianised Anglo-Saxon England but it is interesting to know how the word through the centuries has evolved only to be used in the modern world to denote a plethora of emotions — rage, confusion, excitement and not to forget sex. Or take the word bitch which finds its origins in bicce — a female dog only to be used as a word to degrade women to only find that it represents solidarity and strength in today’s world — depending upon how and who is using this word. The episode that gives us the history of the word s**t is just as interesting. The etymology of s**t — Ship High In Transit — to how it became a vulgar word to use now, sometimes, being used in a positive manner is informative to say the least. Besides Cage who gives us a little history of these different words, there is a lexicographer, a few comedians and actors who talk about what these swear words mean to them and how they have been used over the years and their evolution. Watch it if you use profanities at the drop of a hat and want to know how they came to be used. Makes for an interesting party conversation for sure. If swear words offend you, stay away. °BWP[X]XBPZbT]P $ JUHDW ZDWFK LQ WKH 1HZ HDU ³?[PhX]V9PbbXWPbQTT]PQT]RWPaZ´ 621$/, 1,.$0 PDNHV D FRPHEDFN DIWHU WZR HDUV WR SOD 0DU LQ 79¶V HVKX 6KH VSHDNV ZLWK 6+$/,1, 6$.6(1$ DERXW KHU UROH ZKDW DWWUDFWHG KHU WR WKLV SURMHFW DQG KRZ VKH JRW LQWR DFWLQJ CWTaTPb^] fWh8bPXShTb XbQTRPdbT cWXbbc^ahWPb ]TeTaQTT] c^[S^]CEFT WPeT^][h WTPaS^UcWXb a^[TQdc ]^Q^ShWPb TeTa_[PhTSXc 8R^]bXSTaXcP Q[TbbX]VcWPc8 V^cP] ^__^acd]Xchc^ _[PhPahC^ QTRW^bT]c^ _^acaPhcWXb a^[TXbPQXV ^T]cU^a T 7f_R_UV_XRXZ_Xe`hReTY 5C629@626@G6C ?VeW]Zi AcVdV_eVc+DYVRR_UDjU CReVU+( ! C OVID-19mayhaveputmanyofour homemakeoversonthesidelinesbut it doesn’t hurt if, in the meantime, one watches how this couple manages to turn around the client’s space into a thing of beauty — something that each one of us would like to have in our homes as well. Season 2 is on similar lines as part one whereonegetstoseehowthecouplejuggle work-life and spend time with their young daughters. Fromtransforminghigh-endhomesto redoing a master bath to a kitchen to convertingacabinhomeintoadreamspace for a family of three. Dream Home Makeover definitely gives one an idea how one can transform one’s own home. A change here and white paint, giving the floor a break for the rest of the house and how to ensure that Bohemian works with a straight modern- day look and come together to give a beautiful place where one can relax — all this and much more is what this series has to offer this time round. °BWP[X]XBPZbT]P A]R_j`fcURj F XcWcWT=TfHTPaQaX]VX]VX]]TfW^_Tb77T]]TbPdaXci01XbT[PcTSc^P]]^d]RT cWT[Pd]RW^UXcb$cWbc^aTX]8]SXPCWT]TfTbc7bc^aT^_T]TSX]1WdQP]TbfPac^SPh FXcWPfXSTaP]VT^UR^[[TRcX^]c^RW^^bTUa^^]T³bBd]SPhXbb^acTS6^^]PbW^__X]Vb_aTT 7^_T]TSXcbUXabcbc^aTX]! $P]SX]P[Xcc[T^eTa$hTPabWPbTg_P]STScWTXaaTcPX[U^^c_aX]c R^]bXSTaPQ[h8]=^eTQTa!!cWTQaP]S^_T]TSXcb#(cWbc^aTX];dRZ]^fP]Sc^SPh ^_TaPcTbbc^aTbPRa^bb!$RXcXTbcWPcX]R[dSTP[[cWT[TPSX]VTca^RXcXTb[XZTdQPX3T[WX :^[ZPcP2WT]]PX7hSTaPQPS1P]VP[^aTPbfT[[Pb^cWTaZThRXcXTbbdRWPb3TWaPSd]:^RWX 1W^_P[9P[P]SWPa?d]T0aXcbPa8]S^aT2^XQPc^aT^WP[Xhb^aT0WTSPQPS;dRZ]^f P]SAPX_da °FTPaTTgRXcTSP]ScWaX[[TSc^^_T]^da$cWbc^aTX]cWTR^d]cahCWTY^da]Thb^UPaWPb QTT]TgRXcX]VP]ST^aPQ[TFTfP]cTSc^RT[TQaPcTcWT$hTPaX[Tbc^]TQhRT[TQaPcX]VcWT Rdbc^TabfW^PSTXc_^bbXQ[TCWT]TfTbcT]STPe^ac^bcaXeTU^aPbTP[TbbbW^__X]V Tg_TaXT]RTfPbcWT[Pd]RW^U^daSXVXcP[[^hP[ch_a^VaPX]Rc^QTa[PbchTPaFT[^^ZU^afPaSc^ QaX]VX]VcWTQTbcV[^QP[UPbWX^]c^^aT_Pacb^U8]SXPP]SfT[R^X]V^aTP]S^aT Rdbc^Tabc^P[[^dabc^aTb±bPXS0Xc:^cWPaX7TPSPaZTcX]VP]S2^d]XRPcX^]b 78]SXP 2_ZeRSYRSYZZdSRT0UcTaPWXPcdb6^aXTXbQPRZ^]1WPQWX9X6WPa?Pa7PX]DB1070B78RWPcbd_=4770 ?4=3B4fW^XbP[[bTcc^_[PhcWT]Tf0]XcPPQ^dccWTRWP[[T]VTba^[TWPbc^^UUTaP]ScWT TgRXcTT]ccWPcR^TbfXcW_[PhX]VcWXbRWPaPRcTa D raped in bright sarees and always dressed to the nines, Anita is one of the most loved characters on TV. However, with Saumya Tandon bidding adieu to the show and the character, it came as a big disappointment to the audience to not be able to see Gori Mem on screen for quite a while. However, the wait is finally over now with Nehha Pendse all set to replace Saumya Tandon as Anita Mishra in TV’s Bhabhi Ji Ghar Par Hain. “I am extremely excited to play Anita. The expectations are very high and I hope I live up to the expectations of the audience,” Pendse says. With that being said, there is always some kind of pressure on actors when they replace someone, especially for an already established character and the same is with Pendse. “There is a lot of pressure of course, especially because here is an artist who is loved for playing a character and then you are taking away that image from the audience mind and trying to give your side to it. That is always a scary scenario for any artist. But the beauty in this case is that Saumya had already stepped away from playing Anita bhabhi because of her personal reasons. Also this is probably happening for the first time that the audience is eagerly waiting to see the new Anita. Hence, here it will not come as a shock to the audience as it does when someone gets replaced overnight. The audience will not feel cheated, since they are already expecting someone to come and fill that void. It is more like a welcome and that is what I think is working in my favour,” Pendse says. She tells you that there is no such challenge that the role has to offer since she is somewhat similar to the character. “If I was to play Angoori bhabhi, it would have been definitely challenging for me because I would have had to work upon my accent and body language. On the other hand, Anita is just how I am in real life. There is no added layer to the personality. So I believe it willcomeeasyto me,” Pendse,who hasn’t started shooting yet, tells you. Not only Anita, but even Pendse is back on TV after a short hiatus. And to choose the right role to make a comeback needed a lot of thoughts. “Every actor looks for the best of the opportunities around. One always pick the best of the project that has been offered to him. I did have some apprehensions as to check the right project and I had a few other offers as well which were knocking my door, but Bhabhi Ji Ghar Par Hain looked like the best opportunity to me. To add to it, I also went with my gut feeling,” she says. Not that the gut feeling is the only priority for Pendse, just like any other actor, the director, producer and the show matters as much for her as well. “There is always a checklist. If I talk about this show, first, the producers are known to me, second, they are the ones who are known for this genre. So, I am working with people who have been there and done that. Third, it is an iconic show. Fourth, it is an iconic character and the last, but not the least the show has been running for five years now and is still going strong, so it definitely has something good to offer. This show is the one which is ticking off all my check boxes,” Pendse, who started working on TV with Captain House in 1995, explains. However, the project happened by chance and it was like acting chose her. “I was a very shygirl.My motherenroled me into personality development classes when I was 10. That’s where, Ekta Kapoor saw me because she was looking for young kids and back then, child actors were not that easily available. So, one has to raid all these personality development centres to get the potential child artist. That’s how I came in her vision and she offered me the role. My mother was extremely supportive and she made me take up the opportunity,” she tells you. In all these years of her career, there is a lot that Pendse has learnt and also there are a few regrets as well. “I started young and I am the kind of artist who just got work. I never asked for it. I am not even a trained actor per se. I learnt the job on the go. At times, I do feel bad about it and realise that I should have taken some professional training so that my understanding of the craft and the job opportunities that I am getting would have been much wiser,” she says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
- 3. 347A03D=kBD=30H k90=D0AH !! RP_XcP[ ?=BQ 347A03D= The tally of novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) cases in Uttarakhand climbed to 93,398 on Saturday with the state health department report- ing 287 new cases of the dis- ease. The department also reported the death of six patients of the disease on the day after which the death toll mounted to 1568 in the state. The health department dis- charged 243 patients from dif- ferent hospitals on Saturday. A total of 87370 patients have recovered from the disease so far in the state. The recovery percentage from the disease is now at 93.55 and the sample positivity rate is 4.93 percent. Two patients each of the Covid-19 were reported dead at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Rishikesh and Himalayan hospital Dehradun on Saturday. One patient each succumbed to the disease at Government Doon Medical College (GDMC) hos- pital and Kailash hospital Dehradun on the day. The state health depart- ment reported 90 cases of Covid-19 from Nainital, 65 from Dehradun, 36 from Haridwar, 24 from Pauri, 21 from Udham Singh Nagar, 15 from Almora, nine from Tehri, eight from Pithoragarh, seven from Uttarkashi, five from Chamoli, three from Rudraprayag and two each from Bageshwar and Champawat. Uttarakhand now has 3215 active cases of the disease. Dehradun is at continuing to remain at top of the table of active cases with 844 cases while with 688 active cases Nainital is at second spot. Haridwar is at third position with 375 cases, Pithoragarh has 177, Almora 170, Tehri 165, Bageshwar 149, Udham Singh Nagar 137, Uttarkashi 136, Pauri 131, Chamoli 106 and Champawat 71 active cases of the disease. With 66 active cases of Covid-19, Rudraprayag is at the bottom of the table of active cases of Covid-19. 3_fYT!)dQi ]_e^dcd_)##)( Y^Eµ[XQ^T BXgSTPcWb!' ]Tf_PcXT]cb aT_^acTS^] BPcdaSPh?=BQ 347A03D= Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has directed that necessary arrangements be made for the Covid-19 vacci- nation. A dry run of the vacci- nation will be carried out in all the districts on January 12. The CM said that the health depart- ment and officials in the State had made proper arrangements for the vaccination. Stating this while discussing prepara- tions for vaccination with dis- trict magistrates via video con- ferencing, the CM said that the actual Covid vaccination is likely to be started soon in Uttarakhand. The results of the vaccination will be good con- sidering the manner in which rehearsals for it have been con- ducted in the state. Rawat said that special focus should be laid to ensure that there are no doubts in any- one’s mind regarding the vac- cine. Meetings should be held with various social organisa- tions, business bodies and intel- ligentsia for this purpose. Chief medical officers should provide information about the Covid vaccination in the districts and an elaborate public awareness campaign should also be undertaken for this purpose, he said. Chief secretary Om Prakash directed that a dry run will be organised on January 12 at all vaccination centres in the state. All the districts should complete all necessary arrange- ments for the dry run at their vaccination sites. Duty charts should be placed in all the vac- cination sites so that those deployed for the vaccination campaign are aware of their tasks and timings. The contact numbers of the offices and offi- cials concerned should also be displayed at all vaccination sites for use in case of any adverse reaction. The chief secretary further directed the officials concerned to ensure that the data of the vaccination is uploaded online or offline on the portal on the same day. He further said that 140 more ambulances have been arranged for the state and that these will soon be sent to the districts. The 108 and other ambu- lances should be placed near the vaccination sites for use when required.Care should also be taken to see that those who cannot reach the vacci- nation site alone are not accompanied by a family member aged less than 18 years. Information about vac- cination should be publicised through newspapers, social media and other media to dis- pel any doubts while meetings with members of the promi- nent citizens should also be held in order to raise awareness regarding vaccination. Secretaries Amit Singh Negi, Pankaj Kumar Pande, Health director general Amita Upreti and other officials con- cerned were also present in the meeting. 6_dfcVR]]RccR_XV^V_ed W`c4`gZUgRTTZ_ReZ`_+4 3ahad]c^QTWT[S X]P[[SXbcaXRcb PVPX]^]9P] ! ?=BQ 347A03D= Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has greeted the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the scientists for the systematic nation-wide vaccination campaign to be started from January 16. Rawat said that all arrangements have been made to make the campaign successful in Uttarakhand. A successful dry run has been held in the state to ensure that the actual exercise is also conducted successfully. The CM has appealed to the people of the state to cooperate in the campaign to defeat the global pandemic. He stressed on the need for not becoming careless, maintaining social distanc- ing, frequently washing hands and using masks. BcPcT_aT_PaTSU^aePRRX]PcX^] Ua^9P] %)APfPc ?=BQ 347A03D= The Uttarakhand Congress would bring a chargesheet against the BJP Government of the State on completion of four years of its rule. The chargesheet would highlight the failures of the State Government. The in-charge of the Uttarakhand Congress Devendra Yadav told media persons at Rajiv Bhawan here on Saturday that the party would form a chargesheet com- mittee which would prepare the document which would be released on the day the Trivendra Singh Rawat gov- ernment completes four years of its rule in the State. He said that the BJP Government has proved to be a failure on all fronts and the chargesheet doc- ument would highlight these failures. Yadav added that the chargesheet would launch a campaign on the failures of the state government. Launching scathing attack on the State Government, Yadav said that corruption is at its peak in Uttarakhand. He said that the High Court (HC) had directed that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) should inquire the cases of cor- ruption involving the chief minister but instead of resign- ing and coming clean on the issue the CM is engaging in legal escape routes. He said that the purpose of this three day visit was to focus on strengthening the party at booth level in the state. Yadav added that the responsibilities would be assigned to the Congress workers and leaders. In response to a question on prospects of some BJP MLAs joining the party, the state in charge said that many channels are established by those who are interested to join the party. He said that a good track record and clean image would be the factors the party would look into before accepting him in the party fold. Yadav claimed that Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has little future in the state as it lacks the party organisation. “AAP is only trying to create confusion among the people here but it would not succeed.’’ he quipped. Yadav skirted the question about the party’s face or chief ministerial candidate in the assembly elections of 2022 by saying that the party is moving ahead with collective leader- ship and the party is united. The Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Pritam Singh said the people of Uttarakhand have understood the Chal, Charitra and Chera of the BJP and are eagerly wait- ing for 2022 elections. He claimed that the wind of change would start from Uttarakhand in the assembly election of 2022. Targeting the state BJP president Bansidhar Bhagat for his recent deroga- tory comment on the leader of the opposition (LoP) Indira Hridayesh, Singh said that it appears that the soul of Ravana has entered into Bhagat who plays the character of Dashrath in the Ramlilas. The leader of Opposition Indira Hridayesh said that people are reeling under acute price rise. She also attacked the state government for its inapt handling of the Covid-19 pan- demic. The spokesperson of Congress party, Alok Sharma accused the BJP government for bringing the draconian farm laws and spreading canard in the public in the name of agriculture reforms. 19?6^eTa]T]cWPb_a^eTSc^QTPUPX[daT^]P[[Ua^]cbP]ScWT RWPaVTbWTTcS^RdT]cf^d[SWXVW[XVWccWTbTUPX[daTb)HPSPe 2^]VaTbbc^QaX]VRWPaVTbWTTc ^]#cWP]]Xe^U19?6^ec ?=BQ 347A03D= The Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) presi- dent has categorically stated that the Congress party would not enter into any understand- ing withany party in the assem- bly elections of 2022. In fact the PCC president was so assertive on the issue that he contradict- ed the State in charge Devendra Yadavontheissuewhosaidthat the party would decide on the electoral tie ups in the state in due course of time. 2^]VaTbbc^R^]cTbcD³ZWP]S T[TRcX^]bP[^]T)?aXcP HPSPebZXacTScWT`dTbcX^]PQ^dccWT _Pach´bUPRT^aRWXTUX]XbcTaXP[ RP]SXSPcTX]cWTPbbTQ[hT[TRcX^]b^U !!!QhbPhX]VcWPccWT_PachXb^eX]V PWTPSfXcWR^[[TRcXeT[TPSTabWX_P]ScWT _PachXbd]XcTS CWT?aPSTbW2^]VaTbb2^XccTT?22 _aTbXST]c?aXcPBX]VWbPXScWT_T^_[T ^UDccPaPZWP]SWPeTd]STabc^^ScWT 2WP[2WPaXcaPP]S2WTaP^UcWT19?P]S PaTTPVTa[hfPXcX]VU^a!!!T[TRcX^]b ?=BQ =4FC47A8 The Tehri administration has geared up to free the roads of Chamba city from encroachment. The adminis- tration has asked the business community to voluntarily remove encroachment form the public roads and property and if it fails to do so, action will be initiated against the encroachers following the iden- tification drive by the admin- istration. The Chamba town is a major town that falls of Char Dham Yatra route and it faces long traffic congestion due to the encroachment during the Yatra season. Thus to free the road for the pilgrim vehicles the administration has decid- ed to work on clearing the road prior to the start of the season. It becomes difficult to walk as most of the footpath is encroached by the street ven- dors said one resident. Tehri sub divisional magistrate PS Chauhan said, “The traffic was being hindered due to rampant encroachment thus we have decided to carry out anti- encroachment drive soon.” The shopkeepers have been direct- ed not to keep their goods in front of their shops on the road, he added. The business community has been told to remove the encroachment themselves and if they fail to do so then the administration will have to do the needful as per the law of the land, said officials. Tehri circle officer Mahesh Chand said, “The encroach- ment on the road will not be tolerated at any cost and a drive will be conducted after one week.” 2WPQPc^QTPST UaTTUa^T]Ra^PRWTab ?=BQ 347A03D= The State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR) has written to Childline India Foundation, New Delhi to facilitate the return of a destitute woman of Bihar from Joshimath along with her daughters. According to the letter sent by the commission, a social worker informed the commission that a 30 years old woman along with her two daughters are living in Joshimath for about two years but they do not have a prop- er place to stay. The com- plainant said in the com- plaint that some locals informed that the woman and her daughters came with a man in Joshimath, who s u b s e q u e n t l y left them in the lurch. On the basis of the complaint, the commission has instructed Chamoli district bodies like Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and childline to provide all the necessary facilities to the woman and the minor girls to sustain there. In order to send them back to their home in Bihar, the SCPCR wrote the Childline India Foundation to provide all the necessary details from Bihar as soon as possible to facilitate the return of these people. B2?2A X]bcadRcbU^a aTcda]^U STbcXcdcT UPX[hc^1XWPa=BD8TQTabfXcW^dcWT[TcbTgWXQXcaXbZhQTWPeX^dafWX[TQ[PcP]c[heX^[PcX]VePaX^dbad[TbSdaX]VPcf^fWTT[TaaP[[hX] 3TWaPSd]^]BPcdaSPh ?X^]TTa_W^c^ ?=BQ 347A03D= Mycologist Kamal Semwal who belongs to Uttarakhand has named a new wild species of mushroom ( fungi) he discovered in Pauri district as Paudigarhwalensis after the district. His latest discovery has been published in the prestigious Springer Publication's Fungal Diversity Journal. Semwal said that the objective of his naming the new species is to show love and respect for Pauri from where he has been educated. Semwal, a doctorate from Garhwal University, is current- ly an Associate Professor in Eritrea, East Africa. He said that the mushroom species have a huge contribution in the forest ecosystem. “These species form a deep correlation with the roots of trees. Mushroom trees help to absorb various types of elements from the soil and the tree provides shelter and food to the mushrooms. Mushroom species convert dead plant remains into useful humus, which the tree absorbs. It can be said that only due to mush- rooms, forests continue to get the necessary manure,’’ he said. Semwal has so far discov- ered eight new species of the mushrooms. hR^[^VXbc:PP[ BTfP[WPb]PTS b_TRXTb^UPb ?PdSXVPaWfP[T]bXb =TffX[SdbWa^^]PTS PUcTa?PdaXX]D´ZWP]S
- 4. 347A03D=kBD=30H k90=D0AH !! ]PcX^]# ?=BQ 270=3860A7 To provide safe and conve- nient accommodation for working women, Punjab Social Security, Women and Child Development Department has decided to construct seven new hostels with a cost of C50 crore for working women throughout the Punjab with day care facil- ities for their children. Social Security, Women Child Development Minister Aruna Chaudhary on Saturday saidthatthesefullyequippedspe- cialized hostels would be con- structed in Jalandhar, Patiala, Mohali, Mansa, Barnala, LudhianaandAmritsarinafirst phase and these would cater those women who are working in a far-flung areas from their homes. Remaining districts will becoveredinthenextphase,she said,adding,thelandforMohali hostel has been allotted, while funds for Jalandhar hostel releasedandproposalsforMansa and Amritsar hostels have been receivedwhichareunderprocess. Likewise, grants for remaining hostels would be released in the next financial year. She said that anestimatedbudgetofC50crore is required for the construction ofthesehostelsinvariousdistricts of Punjab on the line of metro cities. She said that 9 hostels for workingwomenarealreadyrun- ning in the State. Addressing a press confer- ence, Chaudhary elaborated that 50% subsidized fare for all women in state-run buses, which was delayed due to COVID crisis, would be imple- mented soon. She said that ear- lier this facility has been pro- vided to women after reaching the age of 60.The Minister said that the process of constructing two government run old age homes in district Barnala and Mansa at a Cost of Rs 5.56 crore each is under way and the funds for constructing these old age homes have been released to the Public Works Department. While one government run home is being run in district Hoshiarpur, 50 NGO run old age homes are running in the state under Senior Citizen, Welfare and Maintenance Act, wherein 1409 senior citizens are residing, she added. Chaudhary said that finan- cial assistance of Rs.1695.93 crores have been disbursed to 25,54,473beneficiariesofoldage ?d]YPQc^R^]bcadRcW^bcT[bU^af^aZX]V f^T]fXcWSPhRPaTUPRX[XchU^aRWX[SaT] Chaudhary said that var- ious vacant posts would be filled in the Social Security, Women and Child Development under the Chief Minister's ambitious Ghar-Ghar Rozgar Mission. Highlighting the details of providing employment in the department, the minis- ter said that we have recruit- ed 88 Clerks and 78 Supervisors in 2019 and 2020, respectively through Punjab State Subordinate Services Selection Board. Likewise, 2 District Social Security Officer (DSSOs), 1 Supdt. Home and 1 Manager (Braille Press) have been recruited through Punjab Public Services Commission in 2019. 316 Aaganwadi workers pro- moted as a Supervisor and 20 Clerks promoted as Senior Assistant recently. Apart from these, 4 DSSOs, 2 Superintendent Grade-1 and 23 Superintendent Grade-2 were promoted from their lower cadre. She said the state gov- ernment has introduced 4% reservation in government jobs for the persons with dis- abilities. As the government announced to provide one lakh jobs to the youth of the state this year, about four thousand government jobs will be given to Divyangs, she said, adding that in addi- tion, the government is pro- viding subsidized loans to Divyang people to enable them to be self reliant. E020=C?BCB5B280;B42DA8CH 34?0AC4=CC1458;;43B= +LPDFKDO 0 H[SUHVVHV UHVROYH WR RIIVHW WKLV U 6WDWH¶V RYLG VHWEDFNV ?=BQ 370A0B70;0 Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Saturday expressed his Government’s resolve to over- come in the new year the set- backs suffered by the State last year amid the Covid-19 pan- demic, even as he expressed concern over the outbreak of bird flu. Addressing a Press confer- ence here, the Chief Minister also disclosed his Government’s plan to launch on January 25 a year-long golden jubilee cele- bration of Himachal's state- hood. Thakur also talked of the Government’s preparations to hold the upcoming civic bod- ies elections in the state. Pointing out that his gov- ernment has completed three years in office, Thakur lament- ed that the state was extreme- ly affected economically last year due to the Covid-19 pan- demic and expressed his gov- ernment’s commitment to overcoming the state’s setbacks suffered last year. “Even during the lockdown and unlock phas- es of this pandemic, our gov- ernment kept its virtual and actual connection with the public in 42 assembly con- stituencies, so that the devel- opment works could keep going on,” he said, adding that during the Covid period too, we have done inaugurations and laid foundation stones of projects worth Rs 3,500 crore.” Talking of his plans to pri- oritise air connectivity in the state, Thakur said, “We have approached the finance com- mission with two priority pro- jects -- a greenfield airport at Mandi and the expansion of Dharamsala airport at Gaggal.” “These demands have also been conveyed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” said Thakur, expressing hopes that these two projects would be implemented this year. Amid the widening scare of bird flu in Himachal Pradesh, the chief minister said a total of 3,464 migratory birds have died due to H5N1 flu in Pong Dam wildlife sanctuary area in Kangra district. “Few crows too were found dead in some other areas of the state, which is of serious concern and the experts are keeping a watch over the situation,” he said. “Ninety percent of these deaths have been those of Bar Headed Geese though 24 species of these migratory birds have been reported killed,” he added. Talking of the state’s efforts to tackle this exigency, he said, “A total of 55 teams of wildlife and 10 teams of Animal Husbandry Department are deployed in the area. We have restricted one km area as an alert zone and next 10 km as a surveillance zone to restrict human and ani- mal activity in the area.” On the government’s plan to hold Himachal’s golden jubilee year of statehood, Thakur said, “We will celebrate it during the whole year from January 25 for which we have planned 51 major events in dif- ferent parts of the state, includ- ing water sports in Pong Lake.” On Himachal’s upcoming civic body elections, Thakur said the state government has already prepared a special operating procedure for it and has asked candidates to avoid organising big rallies during canvassing and mass lunches as victory celebrations. He said as per the last week figures, the Covid is showing a downward trend. ?=BQ 270=3860A7 Cold weather conditions prevailed in Punjab and Haryana on Saturday even though the minimum tem- peratures in the region hovered above normal levels. Chandigarh recorded a low of 10.8 degrees Celsius, five notches above normal, an official of the India Meteorological Department said here. Amritsar, Ludhiana and Patiala in Punjab recorded their respective minimums at 9.4 degrees Celsius, 10.7 degrees Celsius and 10.3 degrees Celsius, up to six notches above normal for this part of the year, the weather office said. The minimum temperatures of Pathankot, Adampur, Bathinda, Faridkot and Gurdaspur settled at 11.6 degrees Celsius, 8.7 degrees Celsius, 6.3 degrees Celsius, 7.5 degrees Celsius and 8.8 degrees Celsius respectively, it added. In Haryana, Ambala, Hisar and Karnal experienced cold weather conditions at 9.6 degrees Celsius, 7.2 degrees Celsius and 9.6 degrees Celsius, up to three degrees above nor- mal, the Met said. The minimum tempera- tures of Narnaul, Rohtak, Bhiwani and Sirsa settled at 10.5 degrees Celsius, 10.8 degrees Celsius, 8.8 degrees Celsius and 7.2 degrees Celsius respectively, up to six degrees above normal, it added. There was fog in Ambala, Patiala, Pathankot, Bathinda, Ludhiana and Sirsa. 4`]UhVReYVc T`_UZeZ`_d aVcdZdeZ_ Af_[RS9cj 0=9:D0AQ 270=3860A7 The scare of Avian Influenza gripped Gurugram after a dozen crows and egrets were found dead in Tau Devi Lal Biodiversity and Botanical Park, Sector 52 and nearby areas in the district over the last two days. Talking to ‘The Pioneer’ over the phone, Sultanpur National park (wildlife) Inspector Rajesh Chahal said that wildlife officials acted swiftly after being informed. Initially, they started the inves- tigation about the cause of death. Later, the samples of dead crows and egrets were taken and sent to the Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in Jalandhar to identify the cause of death. Reports are expected to be received in the next couple of days. However, no case of bird flu has been reported in the district yet, but a caution has been sounded and the health department is on alert, he added. Chahal further said that after this incident, teams of the Wildlife Department are keep- ing round-the-clock vigil. However, no casualty has been reported so far in the wetlands of Sultanpur Lake and Bhindawas where thousands of migratory birds have arrived for their annual sojourn. Another wildlife official said that it was in the morning when people, who went to Tau Devi Lal Biodiversity and Botanical Park, Sector 52 for morning walk, spotted the crows dead under a tree on Thursday, and at 6 pm on Friday. They immediately informed the district adminis- tration. Wildlife officials rushed to the spot, and it may be noted that one crow was also found dead in Sultanpur lake area a few days ago. The stray incidence of crows and egrets’ deaths in the district has triggered bird-flu scare. The State already has a confirmed case of avian flu in Panchkula. The fire force retrieved the carcass and offi- cials with the animal hus- bandry department sent the samples to Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in Jalandhar to identify the cause of death. The officials of the Forest and wildlife department were receiving reports of deaths of crows in the area. But nothing concrete was found there ear- lier. When contacted Haryana Chief Conservator of Forests (wildlife) ML Rajvanshi, said that five crows and one egret were found dead near Tau Devi Lal Biodiversity and Botanical Park, Sector 52 and as a part of precautionary mea- sures, the samples were sent for detailed tests in the wake of bird flu outbreak in Panchkula where avian influenza was con- firmed in domestic poultry, forcing mass culling of birds and also in view of the death of thousands of migratory birds in the Pong Dam of Himachal Pradesh due to bird flu. Teams have been told to report back if fresh bird carcasses are found, he added. He further said, “We are on the alert. Our teams have been keeping a watch 24x7 on a rota- tional basis. A group of indi- viduals who provide extra information about the birds or aquatic species and habitat, and local riparian residents had been roped in to keep an eye on any abnormal behaviour of water fowls. The officials have been asked to create awareness that any sighting of a dead bird by volunteers, bird watchers and others should be reported to the nearest for- est/animal husbandry office.” Rajvanshi further said, We so far have no confirmed instance of flu and people should abstain from undue panic. It's people working in poultry farms who need to be cautious. We are taking all precautions. ?=BQ 270=3860A7 Slamming AAP state presi- dent, Bhagwant Mann, for speaking blatant lies, Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, on Saturday said that it is unfortunate that people like him (Mann), who had no knowledge about the Constitution and legislative procedures, were in politics, and were making illogical state- ments with the sole motive of misleading the people. In a statement issued here, the Chief Minister said that the State Government had already finalised requisite petitions for challenging the central Acts and would do so at an oppor- tune time on the advice of legal experts. “Just like his bosses, Mann too has mastered the art of lying and deception but while doing so he has exposed his incompetence as a parliamen- tarian by making frivolous statements on matters per- taining to the Constitution and Legislative Procedures”, said Capt Amarinder while referring to AAP leader’s claims of a collusion between the Chief Minister and the Governor over sending the agriculture laws, passed unan- imously in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha to negate the farm laws imposed on the country by the NDA led government, to the President. “You really have no knowledge of how Legislative work is done”, said the Chief Minister while advising Mann not to shoot his mouth off on matters of such vital impor- tance. “If you think that you can mislead the people of Punjab by your lies, you are utterly mistaken, as every Punjabi has seen through your webs of deceit and your betrayal of the farmers’ cause”, said Captain Amarinder. The chief minister said that while his govern- ment’s stand on the centre’s black farm laws had been con- sistent from day one, both AAP and Shiromani Akali Dal had been doing flip flops over it. “One day you unanimous- ly support our bills and your party leaders, including Leader of the Opposition, Harpal Singh Cheema, accompany me to the Governor and the very next day you do a somersault and start opposing them”, said the chief minister while adding that such flip flops had shown the real face of AAP to the people of Punjab. The Chief Minister further said that AAP’s double face and its col- lusion with the BJP to weaken the farmers’ agitation had been further exposed with Arvind Kejriwal meekly notifying one of the farm laws in Delhi rather than following Punjab’s example of bringing in legis- lations in the assembly to negate the impact of the black farm laws. The Chief Minister said that contrary to Mann’s claims, the state’s Advocate General, Atul Nanda, had already pre- pared and finalised requisite petitions for challenging the three Central Acts. “Since these Acts impact the lives and futures of our farmers, all decisions will be taken care- fully and judiciously at an opportune time”, said Capt Amarinder. He said that although mat- ters related to Agriculture are mentioned in List II (State List) of the Constitution of India and fall under the exclusive domain of the State Government, the Government of India had enacted the three contentious Farm Laws under the provisions related to Agriculture Marketing men- tioned in List III (Concurrent List). Being a central legisla- tion, the State Government had limited options under Article 254(2) of the Constitution and it had exer- cised the same with the Punjab Assembly passing Bills to amend the Central Laws. 18A35;DB20A46A8?B6DAD6A0 Adrive to cull over 1.60 lakh poultry birds at five poultry farms commenced in Panchkula district on Saturday, the move comes after samples of some birds in two poultry farms at Kheri and Ganauli villages in Panchkula tested positive for the H5N8 strain of avian flu on Friday. The process (to cull birds) started on Saturday by the state's animal husbandry department, Panchkula Deputy Commissioner M K Ahuja said. He said it will take around two to three days to complete the drive. The deputy commissioner further informed that a team of National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases, Bhopal would visit Panchkula next week. On Friday, Haryana Animal Husbandry Minister J P Dalal had said that 1,66,128 birds of five poultry farms would be culled and buriedaspertheguidelinesof the Union government. The state government had consti- tuted 59 teams for the drive. The owners of the poultry farms would be given a com- pensation of Rs 90 per bird. The state government has already declared the area within 1 km radius of the two poultry farms as an ''infected zone'' and the area from 1 km to 10 km as ''sur- veillance zone''. Around four lakh birds had died in poultry farms in Panchkula in the past month. Panchkula's Barwala-Raipur Rani area is one of the largest poultry belts in the country with 70-80 lakh birds in more than 100 farms. 3A8E4C2D;;?D;CAH18A3B1468=B 8=FABC05542C4310AF0;0 ?=BQ 270=3860A7 In a major inter-state opera- tion, the Punjab Police on Saturday busted a gang of Madhya Pradesh based weapons smugglers, who were supplying illegal arms and ammunition to gangsters in Punjab, and arrested two per- sons and seized a huge cache of arms, including 12.32 bore country made pistols and 15 magazines, from their posses- sion. The gang apparently also has links with certain Punjab based terrorists and is suspect- ed of having supplied over two dozen .32 bore pistols to gang- sters and criminals in the State during the last 3 months alone. According to Punjab DGP, Dinkar Gupta, the intelligence led operation was carried out under the supervision of Dhruv Dahiya, SSP, Amritsar (Rural), and the suspects, Mahesh Selotia and Jaggu were nabbed from their native villages in Khargone, MP, by a team led by DSP, Gurinder Nagra. Gupta said the raids in Khargone were conducted after investi- gations into the recent seizure of four illegal .32 bore country made pistols by Amritsar Rural police revealed the involve- ment of the MP based gang led by one Rahul. The DGP said investiga- tions conducted so far have revealed that this gang has been involved in smuggling several major weapons con- signments for Punjab based gangsters. He said that this very gang was also the source of a weapons consignment of six .32 bore Pistols that were inter- cepted and seized by the Patiala Police in September 2020. Besides, the involvement of this gang had also figured in a case of seizure of illegal weapons at PS Chattiwind, Amritsar (Rural). pensions, widows and destitute women, dependent children and Persons with Disabilities up to the month of November 2020.TheMinistersaidthatdur- ing this financial year, 1,22,274 newbeneficiariesunderpension schemes have been incorporat- ed. She said that apart from this, financial assistance of Rs.8,000 per month has also been pro- vided to Acid Attack Victims to make them self-reliant and total 24 beneficiaries have been given benefit under this scheme. B0?;4B53403 2AFB0=346A4CB70E4 144=C0:4=0=3B4=CC C74A468=0;38B40B4 3806=BC82;01A0CAH 8=90;0=370A ?^[XRTbTXiTSP WdVTRPRWT^U PabX]R[dSX]V !!Q^aTR^d]cah PST_Xbc^[bP]S $PVPiX]TbUa^ cWTXa_^bbTbbX^] ?d]YPQ_^[XRTQdbcb? QPbTSVP]V^UX[[TVP[ fTP_^]bbdVV[Tab 4c`hdVXcVedW`f_UUVRUZ_SZ`UZgVcdZejaRc ?d]YPQaTPShfXcW_[TPbc^RWP[[T]VTUPa[Pfb)0PaX]STa ?=BQ 347A03D= Food Corporation of India Uttarakhand’s region state level consultative committee meeting was held at the FCI’s regional office in Dehradun on Friday. Presiding over the meeting, MP and chairman of the con- sultative committee Ajay Tamta took stock of the functioning of the regional office. He asked the officials to ensure that food security schemes mandatorily reach the beneficiaries. The issue of procurement of rice in the past four years was also taken up for discussions. Tamta however praised FCI for con- ducting its duties very effi- ciently even during trying times of Covid 19. Chairman also patiently heard about the grievances of the FCI employees. FCI region- al office General Manager BB Singh, FCI officials and repre- sentatives of the state were present at the meeting. 528bcPcTR^]bd[cPcXeT R^XccTTTTcX]VWT[S ?=BQ 347A03D= The Municipal Corporation of Dehradun (MCD) imposed only 17 penalties on dairy owners last year who were found to dispose of the cow dung in public places. The dairies, especially those which operate in the residen- tial areas create a nuisance for the locals as many of them also dump the animal waste in the drains and public places. Chief municipal health officer Dr Kailash Joshi stated that MCD imposes fine on such dairies but the locals should also complain about such issues. However, he fur- ther added that the improper operation of dairies in the city causes environmental prob- lems too and when the Uttarakhand Environment Protection and Pollution Control Board (UEPPCB) will order the implementation of the guidelines issued by National Green Tribunal (NGT) for a proper dairy oper- ation, it would be easier to con- trol such dairy operators here. Meanwhile, the corpora- tion collected around C16,700 from the dairy owners as penal- ties from January 2020 to December 2020 as per the data provided by the officials but due to Covid-19 pandemic, the MCD could not impose fine on such dairy owners for about six months. Moreover, the corporation had collected more than C28,000 for dispos- ing of cow dung in public places in the year 2019 by imposing 39 penalties, as per the officials. The officials stat- ed that the corporation is plan- ning and will take necessary steps in upcoming months to tackle such issue efficiently in the city. 23X_^bTS^][h _T]P[cXTb^]SPXah ^f]Tab[PbchTPa ?=BQ 347A03D= Various activities including a run and mobike rally were held on the second day of the five-day Marchula adven- ture meet at Salt in Almora on Saturday. The run was held across a length of 20 kilometres. A total of nine runners partic- ipated in the 20 kilometre run, 30 participated in the 10 kilo- metre run while 69 participat- ed in the five kilometre run. The participants ranged in age from the youngest aged 12 years to the oldest aged 50 years. Apart from the run, two- wheeler riders from Almora and Ranikhet also participated in a bike rally held as part of the event. According to the event organisers, for the MTB race to be held on Sunday as part of the five-day event, a total of 60 bicyclists have registered so far. Apart from this, various other activities like paragliding, trail run, water rolling, off roading, hiking, hot air balloon rides, rock climbing, cliff jumping, kayaking and angling are also being organised as part of the five-day adventure meet. The Salt sub divisional magistrate Shipra Joshi Pande, Almora sub divisional magis- trate Gaurav Pande, tourism development officer Rahul Chaubey and other local offi- cials were also present on the occasion. EPaX^dbPRcXeXcXTbWT[S^]!]S SPh^UPaRWd[PPSeT]cdaTTTc 0_PacUa^cWT ad]cf^fWTT[Ta aXSTabUa^ 0[^aPP]S AP]XZWTcP[b^ _PacXRX_PcTSX]P QXZTaP[[hWT[SPb _Pac^UcWTTeT]c
- 5. ]PcX^]$347A03D=kBD=30H k90=D0AH !! ?=BQ =4F34;78 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that the country’s power has increased during the Coronavirus period and the world is “not only waiting for Indian vaccines but is also watching how India runs the world’s biggest vaccination pro- gramme.” Addressing the 16th ‘Pravasi Bharatiya Divas’ con- vention via video conferencing, the Prime Minister said the campaign to empower the poorest of the poor with mod- ern technology is going on in India today, it is discussed in every corner of the world. The convention is a flag- ship event of the Ministry of External Affairs, and provides a platform to engage and con- nect with overseas Indians. “India today is using tech- nology more and more to end corruption. Lakhs of crores of rupees, which earlier used to reach the wrong hands due to all the deficiencies, are now reaching directly into the bank account of the beneficiary. You must have seen, the new institutions that India has developed, have also been praised by global organiza- tions at this time of Corona. The campaign to empower the poorest of the poor with mod- ern technology is going on in India today, it is discussed in every corner of the world, at every level”, he said. Recognising the contribu- tion of Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), Modi said they have strengthened their identities in other countries but all have remained connected with the motherland. “Today we have been con- nected with internet from var- ious corners of the world but our minds are always connect- ed with ‘Maa Bharti’. In the past years, Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) have strengthened their identity in other countries,” he said. “The past year has been a year of great challenges for all of us. But amidst these chal- lenges, the manner in which our Indian Diaspora has spread around the world, has per- formed its duty, it is also a mat- ter of pride for India. This is our tradition, this is the rites of this soil. From this place, the trust of fellow Indian origin is being strengthened for social and political leadership all over the world”, Modi said. The Prime Minister said the Chief Guest of our event , the new President of Suriname, Chandrika Prasad Santokhi ji, is “himself a shining example of this service “ performed by NRIs. He said that India had taken lead during the pan- demic period and is now being watched for the coming mas- sive plan of vaccination in the country. “Being the pharmacy of the world, India has supplied important medicines to all those in need in the past and is also doing so now. The world is not only waiting for Indian vaccines but is also watching how India runs the world’s biggest vaccination programme,” Modi said. Acknowledging India’s contribution in global wealth and counter-terrorism mea- sures, Modi said that the world drew courage from our actions during the testing times. “When India stood in the face of terrorism, the world too got the courage to face this challenge. Today, India is using technology to end corruption. Money worth lakhs and crores are directly being credited to accounts of beneficiaries... People said that India will break and democracy is impos- sible in the country but the truth is that India stands together with a strong and vibrant democracy today,” Modi said. Commenting on our country’s prowess in develop- ing indigenous vaccines to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, he hailed India’s ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ initiatives to “save humanity”. “India used to import PPE kits, masks, ventilators and testing kits from abroad but today our nation is self-reliant. Today, India is ready to save humanity with two ‘Made in India’ Covid-19 vaccines,” the Prime Minister said at the convention. Modi said that the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention would be a “‘great opportuni- ty to interact with our vibrant diaspora”. “Today, India is ready to save humanity with two ‘Made in India’ Covid-19 vaccines. India has done this earlier and it is doing it now as well,” he said while speaking at the 16th chapter of the Convention. The last one was held at Varanasi. µH`c]UT]`dV]jhReTYZ_X :_UZR¶d4`gZU[RSa]R_¶ ?=BQ =4F34;78 After the eight round of talks between the Centre and protesting farmers over the controversial farm laws failed, the Congress has announced to hit the streets across the coun- try from January 15 onwards to express its solidarity with the farmers. Congress delegations in every State and Union Territory will also gherao the Raj Bhawan and protest demanding the repeal of the farm laws and mark the day as Kisan Adhikar Divas. The party’s decision to take to the streets comes after the farmer unions and central min- isters talks ended in yet anoth- er stalemate on Friday. Congress’s protest will coincide with the next round of talks between the Centre and the agitating farmers next Saturday. Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Saturday instruct- ed party general secretaries and leaders to discuss future strategy on the farmer protests following which AICC gener- al secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal held a virtual meet- ing with party colleagues to discuss the ongoing farmers’ protest that has also witnessed the death of at least 60 farmers in the past month. Party leaders, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who too participated in the meeting and agreed that though the agi- tating farmers have been keep- ing away from politicians it would be good to stand in sol- idarity with the farmers. Continuing his attacks on the Centre on the issue, former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi questioned the intentions of the Government. Rahul alleged that the government was work- ing as per a planned strategy to deliberately stretch talks with protesting farmer unions. “Neeyat saaf nahi hai jinki, tareekh pe tareekh dena strat- egy hai unki! (Those who don’t have a clear motive, fix new dates every time as per a strat- egy),” Rahul Gandhi tweeted in Hindi. Making the announcement of nation wide protest, AICC chief spokesman Randeep Surjewala said the Congress is duty-bound to stand with the farmers of the country and thus it has been decided that the party will observe January 15 as Kisan Adhikar Divas. Surjewala said that the Narendra Modi government is “trying to frustrate and tire out the agitating farmers as part of a conspiratorial plan by giving representatives of farmer unions a new date for discus- sions after every round of talks… over 60 farmers have lost their lives so far during the protest and the Prime Minister has not uttered a single word of sympathy and solidarity… Narendra Modi is directly responsible for these deaths.” In the State capitals, local party leaders will conduct ral- lies that will culminate with a gherao of the Raj Bhawan demanding repeal of the three farm laws. The party’s key frontal organisation, the Indian Youth Congress (IYC), has also launched a nationwide pro- gram – Ek Muthi Mitti Shaheedo Ke Naam – “to pay tribute to the martyrdom” of the over 60 farmers who have so far lost their lives during the protests. IYC members across the country will organise a series of rallies and demon- strations to highlight the “injus- tice that the three farm laws will inflict upon crores of Indian farmers,” said IYC national president Srinivas B.V. The grand old party vol- unteers will also “visit vil- lages of the martyred farmers and collect a fistful of soil as a show of solidarity with the farmers.” Congress, along with sev- eral other Opposition parties, has opposed the three farm laws when they were passed by Parliament during the mon- soon session. Ever since the Congress has maintained that the only way for the government to end the impasse with the agitating farmers is to withdraw the three legislations. 0A270=09HC8Q =4F34;78 Health hazardous plastic is now reaching into the human wombs too! In a first- of-its-kind but disturbing study, researchers have found presence of microplastics — tiny plastic particles smaller than 5 millimetres but bigger than 1 micron —inside human placentas, posing a potential risk to fetal health and devel- opment. The study published in the recent journal ‘Environmental International’ said these plastic pieces were recognised as polypropylene, a plastic commonly used in food containers and packag- ing. While the other pieces were harder to identify, they appeared to be plastic bits from “man-made coatings, paints, adhesives, plasters, fin- ger paints, polymers and cos- metics and personal care prod- ucts,” according to the study titled ‘Plasticenta: First evi- dence of microplastics in human placenta.’ The researchers said that microplastics present inside human placentas could poten- tially affect fetal health and development, disrupt immu- nity mechanisms in babies, though they are yet to inves- tigate further to prove this assumption. The microplastics proba- bly entered the women’s bod- ies through ingestion and inhalation, and then translo- cated to the placentas, the researchers said as they found a total of 12 microplastic fragments in four of the six placentas. The effects of microplas- tics in the human body on health are still largely unknown, but the researchers said it was “a matter of great concern” due to the critical role the placenta plays in fetal development. “Microplastics were found in all placental portions: maternal, fetal and amniochorial membranes,” researchers said cautioning that the hazardous item carry with them substances which acting as endocrine disruptors could cause long-term effects on human health. Lead author Antonio Ragusa, director of obstetrics and gynecology at the San Giovanni Calibita Fatebenefratelli hospital in Rome, said it’s likely that microplastics would be present in the babies themselves, although further research would need to confirm this. While all of the babies were healthy at birth, Ragusa said that the microplastics in the placenta had the potential to “alter several cellular regu- lating pathways … such as immunity mechanisms. “Due to the crucial role of placenta in supporting the foetus development and in acting as an interface between the latter and the external environment, the presence of exogenous and potentially harmful (plastic) particles is a matter of great concern. “Possible consequences on pregnancy outcomes and foe- tus are the transgenerational effects of plasticizer on metab- olism and reproduction. “Further studies need to be performed to assess if the presence of MPs in the human placenta may trigger immune responses or may lead to the release of toxic contaminants, resulting harmful for preg- nancy,” warned the researchers. Various reports have pointed out that the plastic waste generated worldwide is expected to triple to 155-265 million metric tonnes per year by 2060. Owing to their size, microplastics are extremely difficult to remove from the environment and are easily consumed by animals and humans, thus need to reduce their usage. XRa^_[PbcXRb]^faTPRWX]VX]c^WdP]f^Qbc^^)BcdSh A094B7:D0AQ =4F34;78 In a move to minimise cru- elty to animals, the Centre on Saturday notified the draft rules for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Animal Husbandry Practices and Procedures) Rules, 2020 per- taining to dehorning, castra- tion, nose-roping, and brand- ing to prohibit inhumane ani- mal husbandry procedures and cruel methods used to euthanise animals. The draft rules prepared by the Ministry of Animal Husbandry mandate using anaesthetics prior to castra- tion, replacing archaic and painful practices such as hot branding with radio frequen- cy identification, breeding hornless cattle instead of dehorning or disbudding, and applying behavioural princi- ples of animal handling and restraining – such as the use of face halters, blindfolds, treats (like molasses, ground- nut cake, or green grass), and verbal and physical cues like calmly talking to and gently stroking animals instead of roughly throwing them to the ground and tying their legs with ropes. The ministry has sought comments/suggestions for the draft rules in the 60 days. Experts pointed to the use of hot irons, knives, or wires for dehorning animals, physical and chemical meth- ods for castration, hot iron- branding for identification, and piercing of cattle septum by using iron rods, which caused tremendous pain to the animals. Under the draft rules, the inserting more than one rope through nose; use of unnat- ural, abrasive or sharp mate- rials such as nylon, plastic and others for nose roping; elas- tration (banding the body part using rubber rings; on scrotum for castration and on tail for docking) in adult cat- tle ; induced cryptorchidism (to prevent descend of testi- cles) and minor veterinary services carried out without the supervision and direction of a registered veterinary practitioner will be prohibit- ed and considered as cruel activities. The rules also require that euthanasia be carried out only under the supervision of a reg- istered veterinary practition- er. As per the rules, dehorn- ing and disbudding of an ani- mal shall be done in blind folded and humanely han- dled before and during the procedure. “Administration of sedatives, analgesics and local anesthesia should be provid- ed to animals under recom- mendation and supervision of a registered veterinarian”, the rules said. Branding of an animal shall be done through alternative identification methods such as ear-tagging, tattooing, freeze branding (cold branding) and use of radio frequency identifica- tion devices shall be preferred for identification of an animal. Hot branding shall only be carried on dead tissues such as hoof in the case of horses or horn in the case of cattle. The depth of branding shall not exceed the 3/4 the thickness of the dead tissue of horn or hoof. While nose-roping of an animal shall be done through use of face halter, blind fold- ing, including offering treats such as molasses, groundnut cake and green grass, as well as verbal and physical cues such as calmly talking to and gently stroking, shall be per- formed for ease of handling and restraining of animal at the time of nose piercing to divert the attention of animal. “Sedative and pre-emptive analgesics shall be given before piercing the nasal sep- tum; a sterile instrument for piercing the nasal septum shall be used under the rec- ommendation and supervi- sion of a registered veterinar- ian,” it said. The rules prescribe euthanasia – “a good death” – for situations in which it’s cruel to keep an animal alive, as mandated by the PCA Act, 1960, or in which a massive number of animals are to be killed for the purpose of dis- ease control, as mandated by The Prevention and Control of Infectious and Contagious Diseases in Animals Act, 2009, and they call for animals to be unconscious without enduring pain or suffering prior to the cessation of vital signs. Current crude methods include injecting chemicals that painfully stop the func- tioning of the heart and lungs while animals are still con- scious, suffocating them to death in plastic bags, and burying or burning them alive, as was reportedly done in a few states during the recent avian flu outbreak. 7_fd]ecQgd_]YdYWQdU SbeUdid_Q^Y]Qc ?=BQ =4F 34;7860=378=060A Former Union Minister and four-term Gujarat Chief Minister Madhavsinh Solanki passed away on Saturday at the age of 93. He was also the External Affairs Minister in the PV Narasimha Rao gov- ernment. Several noted leaders con- doled the death of the nona- genarian Congressman includ- ing President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “In the demise of Shri Madhavsinh Solanki, the nation has lost an unmatched leader. He will be long remembered as much for his role in shaping modern Gujarat as for his inimitable warmth, charm, and love for literature. My condolences to his family and well-wishers,” said the President in his con- dolence message. Modi said, “Shri Madhavsinh Solanki Ji was a formidable leader, playing a key role in Gujarat politics for decades. He will be remem- bered for his rich service to society. Saddened by his demise. Spoke to his son, Bharat Solanki Ji and expressed condolences. Om Shanti.” The Prime Minister added, “Beyond politics, Shri Madhavsinh Solanki Ji enjoyed reading and was passionate about culture. Whenever I would meet him or speak to him, we would discuss books and he would tell me about a new book he recently read. I will always cherish the inter- actions we had.” Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, too, expressed sadness at Solanki’s death. ‘He will be remem- bered for his contribution in strengthening the Congress ideology promoting social justice. Heartfelt condolences to his family friends,” said the leaders. Solanki is credited to bring the ‘Mid-day Meal’ initiative which is still benefitting the students in schools across the country. He also started the girl child nurturing scheme ‘Kanya Kelavani’ in Gujarat. Solanki served as the state’s CM for four terms between 1976 and 1990 and was the longest-serving Chief Minister of the state before Narendra Modi. He is also remembered for cobbling together the KHAM (Kshatriya, Harijan or Dalit, Adivasi, Muslim) social coalition to gain electoral upper hand in Gujarat in the 1980s. The late politician’s son, Bharat Solanki, is a former Gujarat Congress chief and former Union Minister. ?=BQ =4F34;78?0=098 Vice President of India and Rajya Sabha Chairman M.Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday asserted that the legitimacy of legislators and lawmaking bod- ies is critical for effective func- tioning of parliamentary democracy backed by the much-needed trust and confi- dence of the people. Noting that legislatures are the instruments of accord- ing legitimacy for the deci- sions of both the executive and the judiciary, he raised the prospect of the very legitima- cy of legislatures coming into question if they are dysfunctional and lawmak- ers do not enjoy the respect of the people they represent. Speaking to the present and former legislators of Goa on the occasion of the ‘Legislators Day’ in Panaji, Naidu urged the law makers to ensure the legitimacy of the law making bodies through ideal behavior and effective functioning both within and outside the Houses. He sug- gested to the lawmakers to do so by equipping them with six attributes that would make a significant difference. “It is the functioning of legislatures and law making bodies that can either make or mar any democracy,” said the Vice President. Goa Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant and Members of the Goa Legislative Assembly were among the dignitaries who attended the event. Naidu further observed; “Any legislator has the option of either supporting the Government or opposing it. Informed opposition to the government’s proposals in fact does a certain good but opposing for the sake of doing it does harm.” The Vice President com- plimented the people and successive governments of Goa for the emergence of the State as the most developed in the country with the highest Per Capita Income in the country and the best h u m a n development indicators since its liberation from the colonial rule 60 years back after a long drawn struggle. However, referring to Goa having had as many as 30 gov- ernments during the 57 years since the first elections in 1963, Naidu said that it is a huge number by any reckon- ing and it is difficult to justi- fy such a political flux which results in negative percep- tion. ;TVXcXPRh^U[TVXb[Pc^ab[PfPZX]VQ^SXTbRaXcXRP[ U^aTUUTRcXeTUd]RcX^]X]V^U?Pa[ST^RaPRh)=PXSd ?=BQ =4F34;78 GoAir on Saturday termi- nated its senior pilot from services over his derogatory remarks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Twitter. The GoAir pilot had posted some tweets against PM Modi on January 7 that had led to an uproar on social media. In a statement, GoAir said it has “zero tolerance policy and it is mandatory for all GoAir employees to comply with the company’s employment rules, regulations and policies, including social media behav- iour. “The airline does not asso- ciate itself with personal views expressed by any individual or an employee. GoAir has ter- minated the services of the cap- tain with immediate effect,” the statement added. Meanwhile, the terminated GoAir pilot tendered his apol- ogy on Twitter. “I apologise for my tweets about the prime minister and other offensive tweets, which may have hurt sentiments of anyone associat- ed. I convey that GoAir is not associated with any of my tweets directly or indirectly as they were personal views. I take full responsibility for my actions and would like to apol- ogise for my mistakes and will- ingly accept the consequences,” the pilot said. ?X[^cPgTSU^aaTPaZbPVPX]bc^SX 2^]Vc^WXcbcaTTcbPRa^bbR^d]cahUa^ 9P] $c^bW^fb^[XSPaXchfXcWUPaTab New Delhi: Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria visited the Vijaynagar advanced landing ground (ALG) in the eastern- most part of Arunachal Pradesh earlier this week, according to an official state- ment on Saturday. The trip to Vijaynagar ALG on Thursday was part of his three-day visit to the Eastern Air Command. During this trip, he reviewed the opera- tional preparedness of the IAF units deployed in various loca- tions under this command. “On 07 Jan 21, CAS visit- ed Vijaynagar ALG in the east- ernmost part of Arunachal Pradesh,” the IAF said on Twitter. PTI 80527845E8B8CBE890H=060A03E0=243 ;0=38=66AD=38=40BC4A=BC ?0AC50AD=0270;?A034B7 5h7eZQbQd3=C_Q^[Y `QccUcQgQiQd)# ?C8Q =4F34;78 There was no let-up in cold weather conditions in north India on Saturday with fresh snowfall in parts of Kashmir affecting flight operations. A thick layer of fog enveloped parts of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Delhi and Madhya Pradesh, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. Heavy rainfall was observed at isolated places in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala and Kashmir. In Delhi, the minimum temperature was recorded at 10.8 degrees Celsius, four notches above normal. The minimum tempera- ture in the city has remained above normal since January 3 as a result of cloud cover under the influence of successive western disturbances. The Safdarjung Observatory, which provides representative data for the city, had recorded a minimum tem- perature of 9.6 degrees Celsius on Friday and 14.4 degrees Celsius on Thursday, the high- est in January in four years, the IMD said. The cloud cover over the national capital has prevented a steep decline in the minimum temperature so far, an IMD official said. Some other parts of Kashmir received four inches of snowfall in the morning, affect- ing flight operations at the air- port in Srinagar, even as the minimum temperature dropped across the valley. However, air traffic to and fro Kashmir was restored in the afternoon after several flights were cancelled in the morning due to fresh snowfall. The valley had received snowfall for four consecutive days earlier in the week, drap- ing everything in white. In south Kashmir, Kulgam recorded five inches of snow, Anantnag three, Shopian three and Pulwama four. Bandipora, in the north, received two inches of snow and central Kashmir’s Budgam and Ganderbal districts recorded three inches each. There were no reports of snowfall at the famous ski- resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir, and Pahalgam tourist resort in the south. Some other areas in the valley received rainfall. In Himchal Pradesh, Keylong and Kalpa shivered at sub-zero temperature. The tribal Lahaul and Spiti’s administrative centre Keylong were the coldest place in the state at minus 9 degrees Celsius, Shimla MeT centre director Manmohan Singh said. ROG FRQGLWLRQV SHUVLVW LQ QRUWK ,QGLD .DVKPLU UHFHLYHV IUHVK VQRZIDOO